


Making a Mountain out of a Molehill

by MangoKat



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23766817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangoKat/pseuds/MangoKat
Summary: Le Chèvre wants to propose to El Topo, but he just can't seem to find the right time. Nothing feels perfect, and El Topo deserves to have the most romantic proposal he can manage. They're now on a mission, and Le Chèvre is just trying to build up the nerve. He counted on spending some quality time with El Topo, but he didn't count on the disgusting sewer-people ruining his day. Will he ever find the perfect moment?Part of the Team Red Series. If you haven't read The Silence or Broken, then this probably won't make much sense to you.
Relationships: El Topo | Antonio/Le Chèvre | Jean-Paul
Comments: 7
Kudos: 52





	Making a Mountain out of a Molehill

**Author's Note:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone!
> 
> This is a birthday present for my wonderful friend, Nick! Happy Birthday, my dear! ^_^
> 
> This story takes place in February after the end of Broken. There aren't any real spoilers in this story for the main series, so you don't have to worry. This is just a one-shot and will only be one chapter.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Making a Mountain out of a Molehill**

**Chapter one**

**JeanTonio**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The air was bitter and his breath escaped him in little puffs of frozen air. The February wind seemed to tear right through him, but he didn’t move from his spot.

Jean Paul balanced on his perch high above the street, his gaze trained on his partner below. Antonio was speaking with their V.I.L.E contact and Jean Paul didn’t trust this situation at all. Antonio had many friends because of his friendly and easy-going personality, and they’d begun creating a network of spies to gain information from V.I.L.E. They’d been stopping the sale of a lot of stolen valuables, and very slowly they were helping to bleed V.I.L.E dry.

After leaving San Diego to focus on their own missions, Jean Paul had never felt more free. He finally felt like he could just be himself, and concentrate on what was important to him. He hated listening to others, and preferred deciding things for himself. 

His eyes shifted back to Antonio, and he felt a little rush as he looked at him. Antonio was grinning, his white smile goofy and perfect, and Jean Paul felt a smile of his own make its way to his face. Antonio was the only person who could make Jean Paul smile, his sweet and gentle demeanor like a drug to him.

The small box seemed to weigh like lead in his pocket, and Jean Paul shifted a bit nervously. He had spent months looking for the perfect ring, nothing ever seeming good enough for Antonio. Finally he had spotted the perfect pair of rings in a jewellers in Denmark. The rings were woven gold that reminded him of the vines that grew on their little cottage in France. When he looked at the woven gold, it made him think of how Antonio’s heart was woven around his own. They would be together forever, just like the gold on these rings.

Reaching a hand down, he rubbed his pocket, and knew today was the day. He was going to make Antonio his forever.

Jean Paul had no idea how he was going to propose however. He wanted it to be perfect, and he couldn’t decide how he wanted to do it. Should he get flowers? A bottle of wine? A fancy dinner? Antonio did love flowers, but everything he thought of, simply didn’t seem right.

Antonio was chatting quite amiably with the operative, and Jean Paul didn’t like the way the man kept glancing around. He was nervous, and that usually meant trouble. Getting a bad feeling about the situation, he began to descend from his hiding spot, wanting to be close by if Antonio needed him. Shivering from the cold as he climbed down the side of the building, he stopped on the first floor and then balanced his way along the ledge, heading for the nearby tree.

He saw Antonio glance up at him as he leapt into the branches of the tree, and Antonio smiled at him, amusement clear in his eyes. Antonio then turned his attention back to the operative who was shifting about like he wanted to leave. Jean Paul didn’t know this operative, and he wondered how Antonio did. The man looked younger than them, and he was fidgeting like he simply couldn’t stay still, and Jean Paul began to wonder if perhaps it wasn’t nervousness after all. The man had long and greasy hair, and he looked like he hadn’t bathed in a month. Jean Paul was ten feet away and he could clearly smell him, and he had no idea how Antonio wasn’t gagging.

Puffing a bit of warm air into his hands, Jean Paul crept a bit closer, making sure to stay out of sight within the branches. He could now hear what was being said, and he frowned in disapproval.

“I-I can’t.” the operative whispered,averting his gaze, “I-I’m already sticking my neck out too f-f-far by helping you as it is!”

Jean Paul rolled his eyes. A stutterer.

Antonio placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and the man glanced up at him.

“It will be alright, mi amigo, I won’t ask you to do anything that will put your life in danger,”

The man twitched violently, and then looked away again. “I-I-I’m a coward, a-and I-I-I just don’t-”

“Roach, it’s okay, we will find another way.”

Jean Paul scoffed. The man’s codename was  **roach** ?! That seemed to fit the nervous and disgusting man to a tee, and he once again wondered how Antonio knew him. Roach dug his nails into the palms of his hands as he fidgeted, and he seemed to be considering something. Antonio patiently waited, but after a few seconds Jean Paul wanted to slap Roach. Everything about his mannerisms annoyed him, and he could tell just by looking at him that Roach was the type of person that Jean Paul would cross the street to avoid.

“O-okay,” Roach said reluctantly, “I-I’ll bring you to m-my partner.”

Antonio gave the man a smile, and then turned his gaze up to Jean Paul. “You can come down, mi amor, everything is fine.”

When Jean Paul jumped down out of his hiding spot, Roach flinched violently and ducked down like he was about to be struck. When he realized Jean Paul was not about to attack him, he slowly straightened back up and gave him a curious look.

“J-Jean Paul,” he greeted, brushing aside some of his greasy hair out of his eyes, “I-I don’t believe we’ve met.”

He extended a hand towards him to shake. Jean Paul eyed the man’s black fingernails and grime covered hands and kept his arms crossed against his chest. Roach slowly lowered his hand, and then seemed to be getting skittish again.

“I-I don’t like this,” he whispered to Antono, “What if V.I.L.E are w-watching?”

“They’re not,” Antonio assured him.

Roach glanced all around nervously, and then motioned for them to follow. “Th-this way,” he ordered, “Hurry.”

Roach climbed over a chain link fence to gain access to the nearby alley, and Jean Paul easily jumped up. Reaching a hand down, he helped pull Antonio over, and then hurried after Roach who hadn’t waited for them. Roach was surprisingly fast, and several times they nearly lost him as he turned through alley after alley. 

“Slow down, you disgusting insect!” Jean Paul hissed at him.

Roach didn’t seem to slow down, and after ten minutes of frantic chasing, both Antonio and Jean Paul were getting out of breath. They were both in excellent shape, but they weren’t used to running their top speed for this long. Roach however, seemed to have endless stamina, and he didn’t even seem out of breath yet. Just when Antonio was beginning to slow down out of exhaustion, Roach finally came to a stop next to a hole in the wall of a warehouse.

He flashed them a nervous look. “Wait here, and I’ll see if he’s willing to see you.”

“This is ridiculous!” Jean Paul snapped as he fought to catch his breath. “Why would we have to be announced like he’s some sort of royalty? I’m going in,”

Roach held up a hand to stop him and he twitched worse than ever. “No, no, no, no!” he said, looking all around in terror. “You don’t want to make him angry.”

Jean Paul let out a snort. “Why should I care about that?”

Roach shifted anxiously on his feet, his gaze going to the dark hole. “You-you don’t understand,”

Jean Paul crossed his arms. “What’s there to understand?”

Roach shook his head. “If you approach him without p-permission, you will never even lay eyes on him. He will disappear and move bases before you even enter his domain.”

“What utter nonsense,” Jean Paul snapped.

Antonio laid a gentle hand on his arm, and when he looked down at his partner, he saw he was being given a look of disapproval. 

“Gentle, mi amor,” he scolded.

Jean Paul rolled his eyes, but fell silent. 

“I-I’ll be back,” Roach informed them, “Stay here.”

Jean Paul’s lip curled in disgust as Roach crawled into the hole much like his namesake. They stood a few seconds in silence before Jean Paul turned to Antonio.

“How do you know that man?” he demanded incredulously. “I’m not even certain that was a human!”

Antonio smiled up at him in amusement. “I met him when we were at the academy last year,” he explained. “He was living in the basement when I went down there to collect something for Professor Maelstrom, and we got into a conversation. I understand he’s a little different, but he really is a nice guy.”

“Ugh,” Jean Paul commented. “I hope you are planning on taking a shower after all of this.”

Antonio shook his head. “You don’t have to be so mean to him, mi amor.” he scolded, “He doesn’t  **have** to help us, and he really is risking a lot.”

“We don’t even know if this mysterious partner is of any use to us,” Jean Paul pointed out, “There’s only been rumours of such an operative.”

“They say that he decides which missions to accept from V.I.L.E and they have no control over him. They’ve been trying to find him for years, but he’s as elusive as a unicorn. I heard the stories about him, but no one has ever seen him.”

“He probably does not exist. Why would V.I.L.E be unable to find one of their own operatives? His com would have a tracer.”

Antonio gave a shrug.

“We need to find out for sure if he’s real, because if such an operative exists, then they could be our eyes and ears on the inside.”

Jean Paul didn’t seem convinced.

“They say he has his own network of outcast operatives, but I don’t know how much of the rumours are true. The only reason I even know about him is because of Roach.”

“And what is the codename of this mysterious ‘unicorn’ operative?” Jean Paul asked.

Antonio hesitated a moment with a grimace. “...Dumpster Fire.”

Jean Paul blinked. “Dumpster Fire.” he repeated in disbelief.

Antonio nodded, and Jean Paul sighed, wondering what fresh hell his partner was dragging him into. He fell into silence, and once again, Jean Paul found himself thinking of the ring in his pocket. He glanced down at Antonio, and felt a little worried. What if Antonio didn’t want to get married? What if he wanted to keep things the way they were? Jean Paul shifted a bit, and wasn’t sure what his reaction would be if he was rejected. Even just the thought was enough to cause him agony, and he clenched his hands into fists.

Jean Paul then shook his head. No, he was worrying for nothing. Antonio had been hinting around about marriage for two months now, and there was no way he’d decline. Antonio adored weddings, and he was a complete romantic when it came to things like that. Antonio would definitely say yes.

Jean Paul still had a knot of worry in the pit of his stomach, and he reached out and wrapped an arm around Antonio’s shoulders, who smiled up at him. That smile was enough to erase his worries, and he simply waited patiently, neither of them saying a word.

It was about ten minutes later when Roach finally poked his head out of the hole.

“He-he’ll see you,” he informed them nervously. “C-c-come on.”

Jean Paul and Antonio exchanged a look and then cautiously crawled through the hole. Roach led them to the basement of the warehouse, and to their surprise there was another hole there, this one in the floor leading down deep into the ground.

“You’ve  **got** to be kidding!” Jean Paul commented.

Antonio didn’t seem bothered in the least, used to tunnels and holes, but Jean Paul had never been comfortable underground. He liked being outside with endless sky above him, and all the room to stretch that he could want, and small, dark tunnels made him feel vulnerable. He wasn’t exactly claustrophobic, but he tended to avoid places like that.

Antonio reached over and took his hand, and Jean Paul let out another sigh. He would willingly follow Antonio anywhere. Roach disappeared down into the hole, and Antonio pulled Jean Paul with him as he crawled in after the other man. To Jean Paul’s relief, the hole only went down for twenty feet or so before they saw another hole, this one leading through thick concrete.

Roach squeezed himself through the narrow hole like...well a roach, but Antonio had a harder time with his broad shoulders. Finally he had to widen the hole a bit to fit through. Roach didn’t seem happy with this, but he didn’t comment. They were now in a concrete tunnel of some sort, and Jean Paul and Antonio both used the light on their phones to glance around.

“Are we in a sewer?” Antonio hesitantly asked.

Roach twitched and then nodded. “O-old closed off section,” he replied.

Jean Paul said nothing, expecting no less from someone that looked like Roach. He simply rolled his eyes, and followed behind, keeping an eye on the ground in case of rats. They walked for a few minutes through the maze of tunnels, and finally they came to a rusted metal door.

“J-just through here,” Roach informed them, pushing open the door.

Light filled the tunnel, and they blinked and then stepped into the room above. The sight that met their eyes was not something either of them expected. The room was pretty bare except for a large pile of rags in one corner, and what looked like a throne made out of beer boxes. There were lights above that were flickering and sparking, and the air felt heavy and wet. A man was seated on the throne, and he watched them approach, seemingly unconcerned.

Jean Paul couldn’t stop the look of disgust that crossed his face at the sight of the man, and he abruptly stopped walking. The man was incredibly obese and hairy, shirtless, and was wearing dirty and ripped sweatpants. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in years, a thick beard covering most of his face, his hair was incredibly dirty and matted, and the smell of him was like that of a urine-soaked rotting corpse. 

Jean Paul gagged, and backed up several steps, just wanting to turn around and leave. “Nice unicorn, mon amour,” Jean Paul muttered.

Antonio continued forward, offering the man an gentle smile like he wasn’t bothered. “Hola, I am Antonio,” he greeted.

The man took a long drink from a can of beer, his eyes looking Antonio up and down as he did so. Despite appearances, Jean Paul noted the man’s eyes were sharp, and his suspicion was evident. Antonio held out his hand to shake, and there was a long hesitation, and then the man reached out a hand black with dirt and nails that were yellowed and overgrown.

Jean Paul flinched when that dirty hand closed over Antonio’s and he hoped he had hand sanitizer somewhere in his backpack.

“I know who you are, El Topo,” the man finally replied, “Roach had only nice things to say about you, and so I agreed to speak with you. I don’t normally allow outsiders in my domain.”

There was movement from the pile of rags, and Jean Paul glanced over and saw there was a man curled up in the middle of the rags like it was some sort of putrid nest. The man was dressed in a really terrible rat costume that he’d clearly made himself, and he stared straight at Jean Paul in an unnerving way. Jean Paul stared back at him, wondering what sort of madhouse they’d been led to. The man scratched in an aggressive manner like an animal would, but he kept his eyes glued to the two operatives.

“I understand you want something from me,” Dumpster Fire stated, leaning back in his ‘throne’.

“Si,” Antonio said, stepping a bit closer, “I’m sure you know that Jean Paul and I have defected from V.I.L.E?”

Dumpster Fire nodded, and then belched loudly without shame. “Who  **doesn’t** know?”

“We understand that your little group of operatives have defected as well?”

Dumpster Fire let out a loud and barking laugh, revealing black and rotten teeth. “None of us have officially defected,” he replied, “V.I.L.E simply has no use for us. They throw the occasional mission our way, but we’re mostly just left to our own devices.”

Antonio nodded, undeterred. “Are you still loyal to V.I.L.E?”

Dumpster Fire narrowed his eyes for just a moment, before he glanced over to Roach and the rat man. “The only loyalty I have are Roach, Wonder Rat and the other two in my little family,” he replied. “We’re the unwanted, and all we have are each other.”

Roach was standing off to one side picking his nose and Jean Paul shuddered at the three disgusting men. Until today he’d had no idea people like this even existed. He felt like dousing himself in hand sanitizer just for looking at them.

“We’re looking for information that could help take down V.I.L.E,” Antonio explained, “They’re hurting too many people and they have to be stopped.  **Hundreds** of people are dying!”

Dumpster Fire snorted. “Nothing V.I.L.E does affects us. We barely even leave our holes and burrows to go topside. Why should I care about any of this?”

Antonio considered his response carefully. “V.I.L.E has started executing operatives they suspect are less than 100% loyal. How long will it be before they come for you?”

Wonder Rat made a shrill noise of discontent, and Dumpster Fire glanced over at him with a frown. “Let them come. That will be the last thing they do if they venture into our domain. No one touches my family.”

“Please help us!” Antonio begged, “We know that your team is known for gathering information, you must know plenty of V.I.L.E’s secrets!”

Dumpster Fire scratched his bloated belly, and Antonio flinched when he saw a bug leap away. “I frankly don’t give two shits about you,” he stated, looking Antonio straight in the eye.

Jean Paul bristled in anger. “Don’t speak to him that way!” he warned, “Antonio has been nothing but polite to you!”

“Politeness,” Dumpster Fire repeated with a laugh. “Such a stupid concept. I prefer being blunt. Much less confusion that way.”

Antonio’s disappointment was obvious, and Dumpster Fire scratched at his head for a few moments, and then rolled his eyes with a sigh.

“What do you want to know?”

Antonio looked a bit surprised, but quickly answered. “We’re trying to intercept any big-ticket items that V.I.L.E are transporting for sale. We’re trying to bleed their funds dry to weaken them before we strike.”

Dumpster Fire then gave a shrug, expression going back to disinterested. “Sorry, I don’t know of any transports.”

Roach edged over to stand next to his boss, and he seemed even more nervous than before. “Al, w-what about the garden drop-of-” he cut off when he received a sharp cuff upside his head.

“Nest,  **now** ,” Dumpster Fire ordered angrily.

“But, Al, Antonio is-”

He received another cuff, this one harder, and Roach let out a sharp yelp of pain.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Dumpster Fire said, his tone going dangerous.

Roach looked thoroughly chastised, and he scrambled across the room and crawled into the pile of rags beside Wonder Rat. Wonder Rat edged over to make room for him, but he said nothing, simply watching the others silently.

“I know you like El Topo, Roach, but you do  **not** get to decide what information we share, is this clear?” Dumpster Fire snapped.

Roach nodded without a word.

“We will be discussing this later.” Dumpster Fire promised with an angry look.

Roach nodded again, seeming to shrink under the glare. Wonder Rat glanced between Roach and Dumpster Fire and then patted Roach on the shoulder reassuringly. Roach offered him a nervous smile, but neither spoke a word.

Jean Paul rolled his eyes at the display and placed an arm over Antonio’s shoulders to offer his support.

“What  **about** a garden?” he demanded, ready to argue.

Dumpster Fire looked like he’d swallowed a lemon, but then he let out a deep sigh. “Fine, I will tell you this  **one** drop-off.”

Antonio nodded eagerly. “Gracias!”

“A valuable necklace is being dropped off today at the Grand Botanical Gardens here in the city. The two operatives will be meeting up in the center of the hedge maze at four o-clock.”

Jean Paul frowned. “Who are the operatives?”

Dumpster Fire gave a shrug. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

“Thank you for trusting us to keep your secrets!” Antonio said, smiling at the other man. “We won’t betray your trust!”

Dumpster Fire stared at him with lidded eyes, and Jean Paul didn’t like the look whatsoever. He subtly stepped in front of Antonio, but the man didn’t move.

“I  **don’t** trust you,” he finally replied, “Not yet. Perhaps in time, but I will protect my little family group at all costs. I will observe you for a while and then make my decision.”

Antonio gave him a nod. “I understand. We have our own found family, and they mean everything to us. We won’t betray you, and your secrets are safe.”

Dumpster Fire stared for another long moment, and then he nodded. “I’ll be in touch when I’ve made my decision.”

Jean Paul glanced at his watch and saw it was already after three. “Antonio, we don’t have a lot of time to make it to the gardens.”

“Thank you for everything,” Antonio said, “Can someone please show us how to get out of here?”

Dumpster Fire’s gaze went to the nest. “Wonder Rat, you show them out. Roach and I have to have a very long discussion.”

Wonder Rat gave no response, but he crawled his way out of the nest. His costume was even worse than Jean Paul originally thought, and he stared at the holes, grime, and ripped tail with a grimace. Wonder Rat passed them by, and they caught a glimpse of blue eyes behind the mask before he disappeared into the shadows.

“Thank you!” Antonio called back to Dumpster Fire as he hurried after the rat.

Jean Paul said nothing at all. 

They followed behind Wonder Rat, and Antonio was deeply concerned about the man. He clearly had some sort of psychological issues, and he was sometimes on two feet, and other times he crawled on all fours like an animal. Antonio tried to start a conversation with him as they walked, but he didn’t answer or react to anything they said.

Wonder Rat led them as far as the hole in the tunnel they’d entered from and then he silently scurried away into the dark. They both watched him go, and then Jean Paul turned a long look at Antonio.

“Yeeeeah,” Antonio acknowledged. “Sorry, mi amor.”

“I thought for certain we were going to be cannibalized down here,” Jean Paul commented, crawling into the hole. “What a disgusting bunch of people.”

“If they decide to help us, it will greatly expand our knowledge of V.I.L.E.”

“This is not worth it.” Jean Paul muttered to himself.

Antonio crawled after him, and a few moments later, they were back in the warehouse. 

“I cannot believe you willingly associated with people like that,” Jean Paul complained, “Absolutely revolting.”

Antonio gave a shrug, and Jean Paul sighed. “I think I have some hand sanitizer in my backpack.”

As Jean Paul dug through the bag looking for it, they headed out of the warehouse.

“Alright, now let’s get to the gardens before it’s too late.” Antonio announced.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was a relief to step into the heated gardens, and Antonio let out a deep breath of contentment. Rubbing his arms to get some feeling back in them, he offered Jean Paul an easy smile, the other man looking much too serious. Jean Paul’s stern expression softened when he looked down at him, but he didn’t smile. He seemed on edge, and Antonio wondered why. This mission wasn’t anything they hadn’t done dozens of times before, so what made it different this time?

Reaching over, he slipped his hand into Jean Paul’s as they made their way to the front desk. Jean Paul squeezed his hand reassuringly, but he didn’t say anything.

“Good afternoon,” the lady at the desk greeted, “How may I help you?” 

“Two tickets to the garden, s'il vous plaît,” Jean Paul told her, slapping ten dollars onto the counter.

“You’ve come to see the roses, have you?” she asked with a smile, “They’re just starting to bloom and they’re absolutely gorgeous!”

“Yes, yes, fascinating,” Jean Paul responded, reaching to snatch their tickets out of her hand.

As they walked away, Antonio gave him a nudge. “You were rude to that woman,” he pointed out.

Jean Paul rolled his eyes, and didn’t answer.

“What’s the matter, mi amor? You’ve been acting strange all day. Have I done something wrong?”

Jean Paul looked down at him in alarm. “What? No, of course not!”

“Then what is the matter?” Antonio demanded as they entered the first greenhouse.

The ring felt like it was burning inside his pocket, and Jean Paul averted his gaze. “Er, nothing, nothing is the matter.”

Antonio’s brow creased in worry, knowing something wasn’t right. Was Jean Paul mad at him about something? Was it because he forced him to go down into the sewers? Biting his lower lip, he glanced up at Jean Paul who had his eyes trained forward as they walked through the gardens.

“The flowers are beautiful,” Antonio said softly. “I’ve never been to a place like this before.”

Jean Paul glanced around at the blue flowers that surrounded them, and then he finally offered Antonio a smile. He knew how much his partner loved flowers, and was surprised he’d never thought to bring him to a garden.

“Do you think we could look for a while?” Antonio asked him hopefully.

“We only have a few minutes before the drop-off,” Jean Paul informed him, “We can look at the flowers  **after** we get the necklace. Right now we need to focus on the mission.”

Antonio felt like he’d just been reprimanded, and he was a bit taken aback. “Oh, er, of course... _ lo siento, mi amor _ .”

They hurried through the enormous set of greenhouses, and when they finally came to the entrance of the maze, Jean Paul turned to Antonio.

“I’ll take the high and you take the low. The center of the maze should be about forty yards in front of us. I’ll let you know what I see.”

Antonio nodded, and pulled his gloves and goggles out of his backpack. There was no one in sight, and so he stepped behind a nearby statue and began digging down deep into the ground. Jean Paul watched him for a moment, and then leapt up and began climbing to the rafters above. The garden was pretty much empty of people, and Jean Paul could see no one was in the maze yet. He ran along the narrow rafters with perfect balance, and then paused when he found the center of the maze.

Reaching up a hand, he pressed his com. “I’m at the center of the maze, mon amour. No sign of any operatives.”

“I am digging my way there now,” Antonio responded, his voice sounding muffled.

Jean Paul perched and kept an eye on the entrance, knowing the meetup would be happening anytime now. He glanced at his watch and saw it was 3:55. When he looked back up, he saw a female operative slip into the maze. He narrowed his eyes at her, and saw it was the Driver. She was never the one to drop off, and so Jean Paul knew she didn’t have the necklace. He watched as she made her way through the maze, and then once again reached up a hand to his com.

“The Driver just arrived. She is heading for the center now.”

“Okay,” Antonio acknowledged.

Jean Paul watched as she made it to the center of the maze, and then she glanced around, seemingly annoyed. She took a seat on one of the stone benches, and then pulled out her com, and glanced at it. She then frowned and began texting. Jean Paul watched her for ten minutes, and he saw a bit of movement underground in the center near her feet, but luckily the Driver didn’t notice.

“Antonio, you’re in the center now,” Jean Paul said quietly into his com. “Hold position.”

“Si.” Antonio replied, ceasing all movement.

After another ten minutes, the Driver was clearly getting annoyed. Finally Jean Paul saw another person enter the maze. Dash Haber looked to be furious over something, and he stormed through the maze, sipping a coffee as he did so. He was muttering angrily to himself, and Jean Paul knew Dash didn’t stand a chance against him. Dash wasn’t a strong fighter, and his weapons were predictable.

“Dash Haber is incoming,” he whispered to his com.

The second Dash reached the center, the Driver stood and crossed her arms angrily. “You’re nearly 30 minutes late!” she hissed at him.

Dash was clearly not in the mood, and he glowered back at her. “I went to the wrong Portland,” he responded, “A certain slimy idiot told me it was Portland  **Maine** and not Oregon. I had to catch a plane back, and frankly you’re lucky I made it this fast at all.”

The Driver wasn’t having it. “And you couldn’t have called me?” she snapped, “This is unprofessional, and you could have jeopardized the mission!”

“Look, blame the grease stain that calls himself a human!  **He’s** the one who lied to me!”

“I notice you had time to go to Starbucks though,” she snapped.

Dash glanced down at his latte, and had no excuse for it. “With the shitty day I’ve had, I needed the caffeine before I went on a murderspree,” he replied, taking a sip. “I’m  **not** apologizing for it.”

The Driver let out a huff of irritation and then held out her hand. “Just give me the necklace so I can get going. I had better not get a parking ticket because of you! I drove my own car today!”

Dash rolled his eyes, and then reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a hard plastic case and held it out towards her.

“Now!” Jean Paul said into his com, jumping down from his perch.

Antonio burst out of the ground in an explosion of dirt and rocks, and Dash jumped back as the Driver was knocked hard to the ground. He didn’t even see Jean Paul coming at him until it was too late. Jean Paul kicked Dash solidly in the back, sending him sprawling headfirst into the nearby rose bush. Yelping in surprise as the thorns dug into him from all sides, Dash struggled to get free which only made it worse.

Jean Paul reached into the bush and grabbed the case from Dash’s hand.

“Ow, are you  **kidding** me?!” Dash snarled out, “I am  **so** sick of your stupid team! Why can’t you just leave us alone?”

Jean Paul’s response to that was to kick him further into the thorns. Dash swore loudly, and then began carefully pulling thorns away from his skin. The Driver was quick to recover and she kicked Antonio hard in the face before he could fully crawl out of the hole. When she saw Dash get taken down, she turned her attention to Jean Paul, and charged for him, ready to fight with everything she had. 

Jean Paul was taken by surprise, and he took a hard hit to the back, and then spun around to defend himself. Antonio had removed his goggles to wipe the blood from his face, and Jean Paul’s eyes widened.

Seeing the blood on Antonio’s face sent him into a rage, and he blocked the fast swings directed at him, and leapt up onto the bench to get the high ground. As she ran for him, he jumped and kicked her solidly in the face as hard as he could. The Driver went down hard, and she didn’t get back up. Jean Paul stood over her and glowered down at her angrily, and was tempted to stomp on her a few times for  **daring** to harm his partner.

Dash finally managed to get out of the thorns, and when he saw The Driver was down, he took off his hat and extended the blades. Throwing it as fast as he could, Jean Paul didn’t have time to get out of the way. Agony coursed through his back, and he leapt away, seeing droplets of blood splash onto the ground below.

Dash actually seemed a bit surprised he made contact, and he called his hat back, catching it easily. He stared at Jean Paul as he stumbled in pain, and then suddenly he was tackled hard to the ground. Antonio punched him over and over, and Dash let out a sharp cry of agony as he felt one of his ribs crack. Antonio was completely enraged, and Dash suddenly feared for his life, and he lashed out with his hat. El Topo batted it aside, and suddenly Dash had the blades of Antonio’s gloves pressed to his throat. He stared up at the other man with wide eyes, shocked that someone from Team Red was going to kill him. Antonio’s eyes were like ice, and Dash gulped and went perfectly still.

“Touch Jean Paul again, and I will end you,” Antonio promised.

Dash mutely nodded.

To his relief, Antonio released him, and Dash scrambled away, knowing how close he’d just come to having his throat torn out. He grabbed his hat, gave one last furtive glance to the others, and then turned tail and ran for it, leaving the Driver behind. Antonio watched him go with narrowed eyes, and then immediately rushed to check on Jean Paul.

Jean Paul was grimacing from the pain, but when he saw the worry in Antonio’s eyes, he offered him a smile. “I’m fine, mon amour,” he assured him, “Just a scratch.”

Antonio looked at Jean Paul’s back and saw there was a line of blood that stretched between his shoulder blades. Jean Paul then straightened up, and glanced down at the Driver. She was still unconscious, and so he turned his attention to Antonio.

“Well, we did it,” he said teasingly, holding up the necklace.

Antonio smiled up at him, and then reached for his hand. Jean Paul felt his heart rush, and for just a moment it seemed like time had stopped. Surrounded by roses on all sides, Jean Paul found himself smiling wide at his partner.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” Antonio commented, seeing where Jean Paul was looking. “I think this must be the best part of the gardens.”

Now that their mission was complete, Jean Paul had to agree and he nodded. Reaching out, he wiped the blood from Antonio’s face, and simply looked at him. Antonio’s sweet and gentle brown eyes stared up at him, and Jean Paul smiled a little wider. Antonio seemed to relax at the sight of the smile, and he removed his gloves and put them away. He then reached out and ran a careful finger along one of the roses, finding the garden perfect.

Jean Paul’s hand went down to his pocket where the ring was, and knew he couldn’t keep delaying. One of them could be killed at any time during a mission, and Jean Paul didn’t want to waste a second of his time with Antonio.

The smell of the roses were all around them, and the scent was intoxicating. Roses were a symbol of purity and love, and they were completely surrounded by them. To Jean Paul, there had never been a soul more pure than his Antonio’s, and so the roses were a perfect fit to describe their love.

To Antonio’s surprise, Jean Paul ushered him to take a seat on the bench.

“Erm, look, Antonio, we have to talk…”

Antonio’s expression turned worried as he took in his partner’s nervous look. Jean Paul had been acting strangely all day, and it was really beginning to worry him. Jean Paul looked so serious, and he felt like it couldn’t be anything good. What had he done wrong? Did he somehow cross a line?

“What about, mi amor?” Antonio asked nervously.

Jean Paul shifted on his feet and averted his gaze. This only made Antonio even more nervous, and he reached for Jean Paul’s hand. Jean Paul gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and then to Antonio’s shock, he got down on one knee. He held out a ring towards him, and seemed like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Antonio, I love you more than any person on this Earth. You are kind, sweet, and everything about you gives me reason to live. You and I are two halves of a whole, and when I’m with you, you complete me. I love everything about you from your beautiful brown eyes, to the freckles on your skin, and I never want to be apart from you.”

Antonio felt like his breath had caught in his throat.

“I love you, Antonio, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope you feel the same way about me. Will you marry me, mon amour?”

Antonio stared with wide eyes and he gaped for a moment, but then he threw his arms around Jean Paul tightly.

“Yes, of course I’ll marry you, mi amor! Yes, yes and YES!”

Jean Paul let out a laugh of relief, and he wrapped his arms around Antonio just as tightly. The scent of roses drifted all around them, and Jean Paul leaned in for a kiss. Antonio returned it, never feeling happier in his life.

“I’m sorry I proposed in such an odd way,” Jean Paul said, glancing down at the Driver. “This garden just felt like the right spot to ask you.”

“It’s perfect,” Antonio confirmed, “Roses are my favourite.”

Jean Paul didn’t even feel his injuries anymore, and he took Antonio’s hand in his own and then gently began pulling him into the maze.

“We need to get out of here, mon amour,” he explained, “Let’s go back to our hotel and celebrate with some wine.”

Antonio nodded eagerly, and he squeezed his fiancé’s hand tightly. Jean Paul stepped on the Driver as they passed by her, but Antonio didn’t notice, too focused on his partner. As they walked away through the maze of roses, neither cared about anything except for each other.

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